Getting a Small Dog from a Shelter—A Second Opinion

Posted on Dec 05 in The Right Small Dog for You, Where to Get a Small Dogby Jeff K.Print

In a previous article I said there are some risks associated with getting your small dog from an animal shelter.

Our hearts go out to shelter dogs.

I have come across another opinion on the risks and rewards of adopting a small dog from an animal shelter. It comes from Dale Stavroff in his book Let the Dog Decide (Marlowe & Company, 2007.) Mr. Stavroff is a highly experienced dog trainer specializing in positive motivational training. He has a rather stark caution on what you may be getting into if you adopt a dog from a shelter.

“As much as our hearts go out to them, shelter dogs are where they are because they have failed to live up to the expectations of at least one owner, and sometimes several owners, before arriving at their destination. I like to think that even the worst owners have tried hard, in their limited way, to give these dogs a home. Many of these dogs have repeatedly bitten, barked, and destroyed their way into the situation in which they now find themselves. Even in cases where the dog is far more sinned against than sinning, and even in the case of very young dogs, an animal’s presence in the shelter likely indicates a traumatic past that will cause problems in the future.”

Mr. Stavroff goes on to say the overworked and under-equipped staff at a shelter is often incapable of properly assessing or solving some of the behavior problems dogs at the shelter present. He says some shelter dogs have hidden behaviors, including aggressive behaviors, that may only appear when the proper trigger arises. The trigger, and the behavior may never arise at a shelter. He says, “The result is that time and time again, the wrong dogs are inadvertently placed with the wrong people. And dogs that no average person should be expected to handle are placed in improper homes.”

“Because good dogs can be adopted from shelters, but because this will inevitably be much riskier than obtaining a dog from a good breeder, I recommend that only experienced dog people look for a dog at a shelter. Single people, couples without children, semiretired and retired people, and those who work at home—can all benefit from, and bring benefit to unwanted dogs in need of a home.

However, I strongly advise families with children to find a reputable breeder and buy a purebred puppy. You are going to own this animal for at least ten years. You and your kids deserve the best chance you can at success. Taking someone else’s mistakes into your home represents a poor way to start.”

Here is a passage that flies in the face of something I previously believed to be true—when you adopt an adult dog, what you see is what you get. Mr. Stavroff says, “Dogs are perfectly capable of hiding behaviors when it suits them to do so, or again, the shelter environment may simply not trigger any problematical behavior. The shelter environment can also intimidate dogs and suppress their problematical behaviors, until the environment changes and allows the behavior to reemerge as the dog regains confidence.

“Because of this reality, I can only offer the following advice for choosing a dog at a shelter. You must let reason be your guide and not bite off more than you can chew. Your well-being and the safety of others around you depend on the decision you make when getting a dog. Rescuing a dog is no good if it ends tragically.

For those with the time, patience, energy, and experience with dogs to try owning a shelter dog, there are some important issues to consider. First, let’s acknowledge once more that shelters contain perfectly good dogs that are there for no fault of their own. These exceptions do not invalidate the rule or represent a sound reason for adopting.

Remember that a dog imprints between seven and eleven weeks of age, which means that its character and habits are permanently formed at the end of this period. Even in the best circumstances, shelter dogs will usually require a greater effort to accomplish less in every aspect and stage of training, both because they are almost always a good deal older than eleven weeks of age and because of their prior experiences.” (Excerpts from pages 49-51, Let the Dog Decide: The Revolutionary 15-Minute-a-Day Program to Train Your Dog – Gently and Reliably Stavroff, 2007.)

For those of you who may be thinking, “How much damage can a small dog do? Even if I get a small dog from the shelter with behavior problems, its small size should make it easy to overpower,” consider this. An untrained and aggressive small dog can do serious property damage and cause severe personal injury to its owner. I own a 10-pound Miniature Pinscher that is so sweet and docile that his veterinarian never fails to remark on his gentle behavior. He told me he recently had to put another Min Pin down after the dog so savagely attacked his owner, the woman had to be hospitalized with severe facial injuries. Again, this a breed that rarely tops 13 pounds.

I hope this new bit of information does not scare you away from considering a shelter dog. My intention is to make sure you take the time to assess your own situation and your own capabilities before you go to the shelter to look at a small dog.

*******

I want to conclude this piece with a nod towards Dale Stavroff’s book Let the Dog Decide. While I am still in the process of evaluating the training methods he describes in his book, I am very excited about what I have read and tried so far. I read a lot of dog training and dog care books and only recommend those that have good advice that works well in practice at Kelsey’s Dog House. This one looks very promising. There will be more on Let the Dog Decide once the evaluation is complete. Stay tuned.

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